Nonferrous

• Antimony prices decline $100/T as auto sector slump hits usage Dec 05, 2005

  The price of antimony in the United States has come under downward pressure following a weakening in consumer demand and an increase in concentrate availability.

• Nickel shows renewed life as LME metals rise Dec 05, 2005

  Nickel showed signs of life on the London Metal Exchange, with the previously foundering metal rising more than 3 percent Monday to reach its highest level since Oct. 3.

• Workers at Funsur tin smelter in Peru walk out Dec 05, 2005

  Unionized workers at Funsur SA, the smelter and refinery owned by Peruvian tin miner Minsur SA, walked off the job early Monday demanding higher pay.

• Man sets up electronic foreign exchange unit Dec 05, 2005

  Man Financial Inc., New York, said Thursday it had created a new foreign exchange division called Man FX Clear LLC.

• Trafigura in 10-year concentrate offtake deal Dec 05, 2005

  Swiss trading company Trafigura Ltd. has signed a 10-year offtake agreement with PGM Ventures Corp. to purchase all copper, zinc and lead concentrate produced at PGM's Aguas Tenidas Mine in southern Spain.

• Bennett barred from 'dissipating' Refco profits Dec 02, 2005

  Phillip Bennett, former Refco Inc. chairman and chief executive officer, has reached a deal with law firm Scott & Scott LLC that will prevent him from "dissipating" any of the proceeds he received from the sale of Refco's stock last year.

• Korea Zinc mulling Big River's fate Dec 02, 2005

  Korea Zinc Co. Ltd., Seoul, South Korea, hasn't ruled out a future resumption of production at its Big River Zinc Corp. (BRZ) refinery in Sauget, Ill.

• Magnesium prices down in 2006 contracts Dec 02, 2005

  Prices for pure magnesium in 2006 annual contracts are down as much as 22 percent from this year's levels, industry sources said Friday.

• China prepares size requirements for new lead, zinc smelter projects Dec 02, 2005

  China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has expanded efforts to control small-scale metal projects with a new policy aimed at the lead and zinc sector.

• Hoyanger sale talks terminated, Soderberg potlines to shut down Dec 02, 2005

  Norsk Hydro ASA has ended negotiations to sell its Hoyanger aluminum smelter in Norway and will proceed with the planned closure of almost one-third of its production.

• ICA taps Advani as chief of Indian division Dec 02, 2005

  The International Copper Association (ICA) has appointed Ajit Advani chief executive officer of its Indian division. Advani will be responsible for strengthening the International Copper Promotion Council India's relationship with its partners and members in the region's copper industry, the ICA said in a statement Friday.

• Rio Tinto buys majority Ashton Mining stake Dec 02, 2005

  Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto has acquired 3.46 million flow-through common shares of diamond exploration company Ashton Mining of Canada Inc. for Canadian $1.30 ($1.11) per common share.

• Teck Cominco names new vice presidents Dec 02, 2005

  Teck Cominco Ltd., Vancouver, British Columbia, has announced two new executive appointments, effective Jan. 1.

• LME adds more New Orleans zinc warrants Dec 02, 2005

  The London Metal Exchange has lifted the suspension on 400 additional zinc warrants for material in New Orleans. The metal, stored in a Pacorini USA Inc. warehouse on Royal Street, became available for delivery against LME contracts

• Alcoa to build missile castings for US Navy Dec 02, 2005

  Alcoa Inc., Pittsburgh, has signed a $30-million contract to manufacture high-strength aluminum structural castings for the U.S. Navy's Tomahawk missile.

• World refined copper market logs surplus Dec 02, 2005

  The world refined copper market registered the first monthly production surplus of the year in August as refined usage fell to the lowest level thus far in 2005, according to preliminary data from the International Copper Study Group (ICSG), Lisbon, Portugal.

• The next star in the telelens Mexico Dec 02, 2005

  Constellation is targeting production of 150 million pounds of zinc and 40 million pounds of copper annually starting in 2008, with a 15-year lifecycle. The overall cost of construction is between $200 million and $250 million.

• The astronomical trials and tribulations of Constellation Copper Dec 02, 2005

  Gregory A. Hahn, president and chief executive officer of Constellation Copper Corp., has a simple motto, tested to the limit, that should be emblazoned on the company's masthead "Never give up."

• Falconbridge nixes French funding plan for Koniambo Dec 01, 2005

  Falconbridge Ltd. will work quickly to find a new financing deal for its $2.2-billion, 60,000-tonne-a-year Koniambo ferronickel project in the northern province of New Caledonia, but if it is unsuccessful the project could be in serious jeopardy, the Toronto-based miner said Thursday.

• Brush Wellman lands $9M award for beryllium plant Dec 01, 2005

  Brush Wellman Inc. said Thursday that it had landed a $9-million contract award from the U.S. Defense Department to go toward the engineering and design of a new primary beryllium facility.

• Alcan, Noranda boost aluminum Dec 01, 2005

  Alcan Inc., Montreal, and Noranda Aluminum Inc. have raised December transaction prices for aluminum products.

• Cerro reduces energy surcharge Dec 01, 2005

  Cerro Metal Products Co., Bellefonte, Pa., has reduced its December energy surcharge on all products to 1.5 cents a pound from 2 cents in November.

• Booming copper, increasing costs seen pushing aluminum skyward Nov 30, 2005

  Aluminum rose on the London Metal Exchange Wednesday as the pull of booming copper prices and the push of increasing cost pressures combined to take the three-month price to $2,140 per tonne at the final kerb, up $19 from the previous day.

• Kaiser's creditors OK revamp plan Nov 30, 2005

  Kaiser Aluminum Corp.'s creditors have approved the company's reorganization plan by a wide margin.